We recently connected with Keona Prokop and have shared our conversation below.

Keona, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents were only married for less than a year. My mom raised me as a single mother most of my life. Due to the nature of being a single parent, she was very hands-off. The approach can sometimes backfire, but for me it allowed me to learn responsibility at a young age and have the freedom to become an independent person. My mother has never put expectations on my future. This allowed me to take an untraditional path in life and study entrepreneurship. In college, I started my first fashion business. I won a business competition at my college and I was offered a job working for a start-up fashion company. I bought and sold my own real estate to have stability and ownership in my home (stability was not something I had much of growing up) and I grew my career in marketing. I am grateful for the challenges in my life because they made me the person I am today.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have 10 years of marketing experience in director roles. I am an entrepreneur and I have had two businesses in fashion and videography. I have helped build eCommerce websites, generate revenue growth, and innovate retail companies. For the past few years, I was working for the American Craft Council as the Director of Marketing and Communications. I learned a lot about the hardships of craft artists during this challenging time and the importance of purchasing handmade for sustainability and creativity to flourish. I just started a new journey in my career as a Relationship Development Director at Capsule. I am looking forward to helping brands connect with the creative resources that they need to be successful.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Society needs to invest in handmade vs. mass-produced. Fast fashion and throw-away culture are killing our environment. The stale and copied design ideas that companies are putting out are not only boring, but they steal from the creative individuals that we need to generate innovation. We need to invest in our artists. We need to invest in our planet. We need to open up our wallets and spend a little more so that the artists can afford to create what they love.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think humans need a balance of creation and consumption to be fulfilled. I think our society focuses too much on consumption and we are losing sight of the importance of creating. Anyone can be creative. Creativity comes in many forms. Cooking, gardening, floral design, interior design, writing, drawing, painting, building, and reconfiguring, are all things we do in our daily lives that utilize our creativity.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://capsule.us/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keonaprokop/